Tip Of The Week # 61 Using The Pepwave & HTC EVO 4G Together

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Monday, 23 August 2010

EVDOinfo.com has long been your source for tips, tricks, hacks and suggestions for getting the most out of your EVDO service, and each week we will be highlighting a particularly interesting or popular topic in the "Tip of the Week" feature. To suggest future Tips of the Week, contact us at suggestions@evdoinfo.com or post your suggestions in the EVDO Forums.

Use the Pepwave Surf Mini With The HTC EVO 4G's Hotspot Feature

The HTC EVO 4G has become one of the most popular smartphones on the market, and one of the most enticing features it offers is the optional "wireless hotspot". For an additional $29.99/month, EVO users can turn their phone into a 3G/4G hotspot that provides truly unlimited 3G and 4G service (no 5GB cap on the 3G side like datacards have!) for up to 8 wireless devices. This has been very appealing to a wide array of customers, but there are a few limitations to the EVO's hotspot. These limitations include the inability to convert the signal into an Ethernet output, support for only 8 users and a wireless range of around 150 feet. So, how do we get around these limitations?

The answer is the Pepwave Surf Mini, a powerful WiFi bridge with an ethernet port. The Pepwave Surf can be located at the end of the EVO's WiFi range and set up so that it acts as a WiFi Repeater, extending the EVO's reach to provide up to double the WiFi range (depending on wall/building construction and interference from competing electronics)! The Pepwave Surf also features a single ethernet LAN port, allowing users to hardwire any computer (or other internet-capable device) that features an ethernet port but no WiFi, and it will allow internet connectivity via ethernet and WiFi simultaneously. Finally, it also allows you to get around that pesky 8-user limit. The Pepwave Surf Mini connects to the EVO (via WiFi) and counts as one of the 8 users; you can then connect as many devices as you want to the Pepwave! In other words, if you wanted to share the connection from the EVO with 10 laptops, rather than having the laptops connect directly to the EVO's WiFi network, they would connect to the Pepwave (which is rebroadcasting the signal from the EVO). Since the laptops aren't connected to the EVO itself, the EVI doesn't count them towards the 8-user limit!

Why Use the Pepwave Surf Mini with the EVO?

Ability to have Ethernet out - This allows users to connect a variety of components that don't have wireless capabilities. With the ethernet port, you'll have the option to connect to a Cradlepoint router for a larger home network, hardwire Ethernet connectivity to a desktop computer, or provide internet connectivity to other devices like Blu Ray Players, Gaming systems (PS3, Xbox360, Wii etc), Dish/Direct TV DVR, VOIP phones like the Ooma Telo, etc!

Larger wireless range - The HTC EVO's range is up to 150 feet, but with the Pepwave Surf Mini you can drastically increase that wireless range. If you still require more range you can even add the Hawking Hi-Gain 15dBi WiFi antenna to increase your wireless range up to 3/4 of a mile!

No 8 user wireless limit - When you repeat the WiFi signal via the Pepwave, you're only using one connection, and then you can connect as many devices as you want to the Pepwave.

Once the Pepwave is properly associated with the HTC EVO - an easy process that takes just moments - the Pepwave Surf will continuously scan to see if the HTC EVO is within range and then locks onto the signal and rebroadcasts it. It's as simple as that! It is arguably the easiest (and most affordable - the Pepwave Surf Mini is just $99.99 at 3Gstore) way to extend your EVO's WiFi range, add ethernet capability, and allow more than 8 users to share the signal!Related Links: